


First Dates and Pool Games

by Katyakora



Series: In The Smoke [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Coldwestallenweek, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katyakora/pseuds/Katyakora
Summary: Leonard would be much happier about the end of his dry spell if he hadn't somehow managed to schedule two dates on the same night. Mick is entirely unsympathetic.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Coldwestallen Week Day 3: Coffeeshop Style AU
> 
> A bar is basically like a coffeeshop but with alcohol, right? Shut up, it counts!

“What’s eating you?” 

 

Leonard looked up from where he’d been mindlessly cleaning the same glass for ten minutes as his best friend parked himself in a stool across the bar from him. Len sighed, tossing his cloth at the sink and setting the cup down so he could dramatically drop his head into his arms on the bar.

 

“That bad, huh?” Mick chuckled, entirely unsympathetic. He knew Leonard didn’t waste drama on the really serious stuff.

 

“I’m an idiot,” Len informed his forearms.

 

“That ain’t news.” Mick remained entirely unmoved as Len raised his head just enough to glare at him. The tattoo artist just patiently raised his eyebrows, waiting for Len to spill. Sometimes it was rather inconvenient that Mick knew him so well.

 

“Okay,” he began with a sigh as he straightened. “You remember that girl I told you about?”

 

“You mean the hot chick who conned you into teaching her how to play pool so she could kick her brother’s smug ass?”

 

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

 

“What about her?”

 

Leonard rubbed his face tiredly. “She asked me out.” Mick squinted suspiciously at him.

 

“I feel like this is where I’m supposed to congratulate you, but your pout is telling me otherwise.”

 

“I’m not pouting,” Len argued, while absolutely pouting.

 

“So what happened? You turn her down?”

 

“No. We’re going to that sweets festival at the park tomorrow night.”

 

“Again, feeling like this should be a congratulatory moment…”

 

“Ugh. You remember that delivery guy?” At Len’s words, Mick’s confusion turned to a very knowing, mildly judging look.

 

“You mean the stupidly cute one whose eyes you waxed poetic about for forty five minutes last time we went drinking?”

 

“...Yeah, that’s the one.”

 

“Lemme guess: he asked you out too.”

 

“Got it in one.”

 

“And he wants to go to that sweets festival tomorrow night.”

 

“Congratulations, you win a prize!” Len drawled sarcastically as he once again let his head slump onto his arms.

 

“You’re an idiot,” Mick informed him fondly, earning him another glare which he ignored. “Reschedule. Tell the guy you’re busy tomorrow.”

 

“Can’t,” Len admitted sheepishly resurfacing so he could lean on his elbows. “When he suggested it, I mentioned I was already going and he sort of took that as confirmation. Said he’d see me there and then he left before I could explain.”

 

“He just left? Didn’t even leave his number?” Mick asked.

 

“He had deliveries to do.” Len shrugged. “I think he was running late, since it took him a while to work up the nerve to ask.” Len couldn’t help a small fond smile at the memory of Barry’s nervous stalling and stuttering. The man was the physical embodiment of cuteness. Mick rolled his eyes.

 

“So reschedule the girl.” Mick took one look at Len’s sheepish grimace and scowled in disdain. “You don’t have her number either, do you?”

 

“Never needed it, she just comes by on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I open. I’m supposed to meet her there tomorrow.”

 

“And you don’t have them on social media either because you live in the dark ages, you goddamn hermit.” Mick shook his head incredulously. “How in the hell did you go from no action in over a year to your life being a fucking soap opera?”

 

Len scowled back at him. “We can’t all just have the perfect woman stroll into our lives after hours, now can we?” he snapped back sarcastically, to which Mick simply grinned unashamedly.

 

“True. Guess I’m just lucky that way,” he conceded with no grace, getting that dreamy look in his eye that he always got when he talked about his new girlfriend.

 

“She still coming by tonight?” Len asked absently. Mick didn’t have any living family to speak of, so instead of ‘meeting the parents’, ‘meeting the best friend’ was the relationship milestone for him. Ever since the trainwreck that had been Alexa, Mick had learned to trust Len’s instincts when it came to people.

 

“Yeah. She’s bringing a couple of friends too, apparently some of them have been wanting to try this place.”

 

“Always nice to have new patrons,” Len said with a shrug, keeping half an eye on the sloppy drunk Jax was ‘escorting’ out of the bar. The kid had been working there for a week and he was already a better bouncer than Tony had ever been. “Even if college kids do make a mess.”

 

“They’re post-grads, they don’t count.”

 

“Level of education means nothing. You remember that alcoholic chemistry professor who used to commandeer the billiards balls to give random drunks lessons on electron orbitals?”

 

“Oh yeah, I liked that guy. Okay, I see your point. But, come on, they work in a  _ flower shop _ . I doubt they’re gonna get that rowdy.”

 

Len just shrugged, withholding judgement until he actually met Caitlin and her crew. 

  
  


_ Meanwhile, a few moments earlier… _

 

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Barry whispered as they followed their friends down the street to the bar. 

 

“Why not?” Iris asked, leaning close to her boyfriend to leach some of his warmth.

 

“Because that’s the bar of the guy I asked out. Wasn’t the plan that we all meet tomorrow and see how we felt?”

 

“Wait, your guy owns the Rogue’s Gallery?” Iris clarified. “That’s the bar Len works at.”

 

“Wait, but that means the guy I asked out and the guy you asked out probably know each other.”

 

“Which could be a good thing,” Iris pointed out hastily. “If we both end up liking both of them, it’ll be good if they already know and preferably like each other.”

 

“True. Are you sure this was the right way to go about this?” Barry asked, chewing his thumbnail nervously. Iris absently pulled his hand down.

 

“You remember what happened with Linda and Patty? We agreed, Barr; at least one date to test the waters before dropping the polyamory bomb.”

 

“I know. I’m just nervous. I really like this guy.”

 

“I know, I feel the same. It’ll be okay. If they are here tonight, just think of this as an earlier opportunity to test the waters.”

 

They hurried the last few steps to catch up to their friends as they walked into the bar. They almost walked into Cisco’s back, who was peering around the room looking for Caitlin and her boyfriend. Barry and Iris joined him, both of their eyes falling quickly on the man behind the bar.

 

“That’s him!” they said in unison. They looked at each other in surprise, Lisa and Cisco both turning to them with confusion.

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“Len? The bartender? That’s him,” Iris clarified. Barry’s eyebrows jumped.

 

“That’s Leonard. The bar  _ owner _ ,” he argued.

 

“What are you guys talking about?” Lisa asked.

 

“The same bar. Leonard, Len. How did we not realise?” Iris exclaimed.

 

“That must be why he said he was already going. Wait, that means he scheduled dates with both of us...at the same time?” Barry mused.

 

“That’s...a little weird. But on the bright side, that probably means he’s poly too?” Iris pointed out.

 

“Guys!” Cisco butted in, finally getting their attention. “What is going on?”

 

“Barry and I had a crush on these two guys who it turns out are actually the same guy,” Iris explained.

 

“Wait, which guy?” Lisa asked, suddenly inexplicably excited.

 

“The bartender.” Barry pointed, drawing Lisa’s eye to where Caitlin sat on her boyfriend’s lap, the pair of them  laughing at the slightly panicked looking man behind the bar. Putting the pieces together, Lisa began to giggle.

 

“What’s so funny?” 

 

“You two both asked out Mick’s best friend. My big brother.”

 

_ Over by the bar… _

 

“Oh crap.” Leonard froze, his eyes on the door. Caitlin had arrived a couple of minutes ago, apparently wanting a chance to meet Leonard before her friends arrived and embarrassed her. So far she seemed like an intelligent, sweet woman who genuinely cared for Mick. After starting off so well, Len should have known things would inevitably go downhill.

 

“What?” Mick grunted.

 

“It’s them.”

 

“Them who?” Caitlin asked as Mick twisted in his seat, catching sight of the pair engaging in an intense conversation by the door. His eyebrows shot up.

 

“Wait, delivery boy and pool girl?  _ That’s _ them?”

 

“Yes! Now what the hell am I supposed to do?”

 

Instead of offering advice, Mick proceeded to crack up laughing. Len stared at him in disbelief.

 

“It’s not funny!” he hissed, tossing a rag at his friend’s face, making him choke momentarily. The big tattooist wasn’t in the least discouraged, still chuckling as he tossed the rag right back. Caitlin looked back and forth between the group at the door and Len, confused.

 

“That’s Cisco, Barry and Iris,” she stated slowly, before realisation dawned on her face. “Oh my god, you’re Hot Bar Guy!” She began to giggle along with Mick.

 

“You know them?” Instead of answering Len, Mick waved the group over. 

 

“Hey Lenny,” Lisa greeted as she sat down on Mick’s far side. “This is Cisco. I’d introduce Barry and Iris, but apparently, you’ve already met,” she added with a smirk. She turned to Iris. “Guess I know how you plan to win that bet with Wally.”

 

“Why didn’t you say my buddy Lenny was the guy teaching you?” Mick asked jovially.

 

“I wasn’t aware you knew each other,” Iris admitted as she took a seat at the bar. Barry sat beside her, Cisco on his other side, doing his utmost best not to draw the attention of his girlfriend’s older brother. “Or that Barry did, for that matter.”

 

“Hello again,” Barry greeted Len with an awkward little wave. “When Iris said she’d met a cool bartender who was teaching her pool, I should have realised she was talking about you.”

 

“You think I’m the only cool bartender in town?” Len couldn’t help but tease.

 

“Probably not,” Barry amended, “but she was  _ very _ descriptive.” That earned him a pointed elbow from Iris, who looked mortified.

 

“Was she now?” Len turned his smirk on Iris, who was definitely blushing. Len leaned on his elbows on the bar, immensely enjoying their matching flustered expressions and momentarily forgetting his dilemma.

 

“What can I say? You made an impression,” Iris admitted once she’d collected her thoughts. “Made one on Barry too, apparently. Enough that we apparently had the same idea.”

 

“So I’ve gathered.”

 

“You’re not upset?” Barry asked, having clearly been nervous about this.

 

“Should I be?” Len countered with a frown. He was fairly certain that he wasn’t the wronged party in this equation.

 

“In our experience, people don’t often react favourably to the idea of polyamory,” Iris stated cautiously, gauging his reaction. He tilted his head a little, looking back and forth between them as the pieces fell into place.

 

“You two are together?” They both nodded cautiously. Out of the corner of his eye, Len could see Lisa and Mick grinning smugly while Caitlin watched Len like a hawk, a glint of protective steel in her eyes. “Good. That’ll be easier than trying to reschedule.” Len found himself utterly blinded by the beauty of Barry and Iris’s relieved smiles.

 

“Now that your little drama is settled, you wanna serve your actual customers?” Mick cut in with a teasing grin.

 

“Like you ever pay,” Len scoffed, but he poured out Mick’s usual and asked the others for their orders anyway. He did it with a spring in his step and a warm smile for Iris and Barry whenever they caught his eye. Having started his shift miserable, things were definitely looking up.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Maybe one day I will find the time and muster the effort to write out all the background to this.


End file.
